The Onoli community in Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State has come under a violent attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
According to eyewitness reports, the attackers stormed local farmlands earlier on Friday, leaving several residents macheted, while many others who fled for safety remain unaccounted for.
The attack poses a serious threat to lives, livelihoods, and the very survival of the community.
Community leaders and concerned citizens are urgently calling on the Enugu State Government, security agencies, and other tiers of government to intervene without delay to halt the violence and safeguard lives and property.
They also appealed to well-meaning Nigerians, humanitarian organisations, and stakeholders to come to the aid of Onoli community before the situation escalates further.
A family member of the deceased, Sampson Okolie, confirmed the killing, saying, “It is true Fulani herdsmen killed our brother.”
“What happened is that the guy who was about 30 years old went to the farm along Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway; it is on the right if you are going to Port Harcourt. The place is near the boundary between Enugu and Abia states,” he said.
He told SaharaReporters that Ogbaki was attacked while inspecting his farm after visiting his sand mining site.
According to him, “They stabbed him in the chest and he died at the UNTH (University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital) Enugu yesterday (Saturday) around 2 am.”
Okolie further explained that the area had been unsafe for months, as Fulani herdsmen had forced many villagers to abandon their farmlands.
He said residents of nearby Obuovia village in Ugwuleshi Awgu autonomous community had been completely displaced.
He also narrated how another young man, popularly known as Azuefe, was recently arrested and detained for three months after herders accused him of “disturbing them” while farming in the same area.
During his detention, he was allegedly tortured and accused of being a member of the Eastern Security Network (ESN), an armed wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Following his release, only a few farmers, including the late Ogbaki, dared to return to their lands.
